The staff and management of Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend have announced that their annual youth scholarship has been named in honor of Charlie Derrington. Charlie was a valued, long-time employee of Gibson, who sponsors the scholarship, and a friend to Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend co-host Herschel Sizemore.

When Derrington was killed in a tragic accident last month, the idea to give his name to the scholarship seemed like a fine way for Sizemore to honor his friend.

“Charlie was a friend to anyone took the mandolin seriously, and we are very pleased to play a small part in keeping his memory alive. We hope that the young bluegrass players who apply for, and receive the Charlie Derrington Memorial Scholarship each year will take a moment to learn about his important contributions, and we thank Joe Vest at Gibson for consenting to rename the scholarship for Charlie.

The scholarship is open to young bluegrass pickers between the ages of 13 and 24, and will cover their tuition, meals, accomodations and (in some cases) travel expenses for them to spend three days at the annual Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend instructional seminar.

Interested students/parents can find the scholarship details and an application form on the RBW web site. The application deadline is September 15.

The scholarship is funded by a raffle for a new RB-250 banjo, donated by Gibson. Raffle chances can be purchased online, by phone or by mail. Contact information for mail or phone purchases can be found online.

Previous posts on Charlie Derrington:
Gibson established Charlie Derrington Memorial Fund
Charlie Derrington accident in Nashville paper
Charlie Derrington drunk driving victim